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Fazekas ÁF, Gyulavári T, Pap Z, Bodor A, Laczi K, Perei K, Illés E, László Z, Veréb G. Effects of Different TiO 2/CNT Coatings of PVDF Membranes on the Filtration of Oil-Contaminated Wastewaters. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:812. [PMID: 37887984 PMCID: PMC10608089 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13100812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Six different TiO2/CNT nanocomposite-coated polyvinylidene-fluoride (PVDF) microfilter membranes (including -OH or/and -COOH functionalized CNTs) were evaluated in terms of their performance in filtering oil-in-water emulsions. In the early stages of filtration, until reaching a volume reduction ratio (VRR) of ~1.5, the membranes coated with functionalized CNT-containing composites provided significantly higher fluxes than the non-functionalized ones, proving the beneficial effect of the surface modifications of the CNTs. Additionally, until the end of the filtration experiments (VRR = 5), notable flux enhancements were achieved with both TiO2 (~50%) and TiO2/CNT-coated membranes (up to ~300%), compared to the uncoated membrane. The irreversible filtration resistances of the membranes indicated that both the hydrophilicity and surface charge (zeta potential) played a crucial role in membrane fouling. However, a sharp and significant flux decrease (~90% flux reduction ratio) was observed for all membranes until reaching a VRR of 1.1-1.8, which could be attributed to the chemical composition of the oil. Gas chromatography measurements revealed a lack of hydrocarbon derivatives with polar molecular fractions (which can act as natural emulsifiers), resulting in significant coalescent ability (and less stable emulsion). Therefore, this led to a more compact cake layer formation on the surface of the membranes (compared to a previous study). It was also demonstrated that all membranes had excellent purification efficiency (97-99.8%) regarding the turbidity, but the effectiveness of the chemical oxygen demand reduction was slightly lower, ranging from 93.7% to 98%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ákos Ferenc Fazekas
- Department of Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Moszkvai Blvd. 9., H-6725 Szeged, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Environmental Sciences, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla Sq. 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Tamás Gyulavári
- Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla Sq. 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Pap
- Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla Sq. 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
- Centre of Nanostructured Materials and Bio-Nano Interfaces, Institute for Interdisciplinary, Research on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Treboniu Laurian 42, RO-400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- STAR-UBB Institute, Mihail Kogălniceanu 1, RO-400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Attila Bodor
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, University of Szeged, Közép Alley 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre, Hungarian Research Network, Temesvári Blvd. 62, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Krisztián Laczi
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, University of Szeged, Közép Alley 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Katalin Perei
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, University of Szeged, Közép Alley 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Erzsébet Illés
- Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Mars Sq. 7, H-6724 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsanna László
- Department of Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Moszkvai Blvd. 9., H-6725 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gábor Veréb
- Department of Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Moszkvai Blvd. 9., H-6725 Szeged, Hungary
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Sebők-Nagy K, Kóta Z, Kincses A, Fazekas ÁF, Dér A, László Z, Páli T. Spin-Label Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Reveals Effects of Wastewater Filter Membrane Coated with Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Bovine Serum Albumin. Molecules 2023; 28:6750. [PMID: 37836593 PMCID: PMC10574081 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28196750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of proteins in filter membranes limits the efficiency of filtering technologies for cleaning wastewater. Efforts are ongoing to coat commercial filters with different materials (such as titanium dioxide, TiO2) to reduce the fouling of the membrane. Beyond monitoring the desired effect of the retention of biomolecules, it is necessary to understand what the biophysical changes are in water-soluble proteins caused by their interaction with the new coated filter membranes, an aspect that has received little attention so far. Using spin-label electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), aided with native fluorescence spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS), here, we report the changes in the structure and dynamics of bovine serum albumin (BSA) exposed to TiO2 (P25) nanoparticles or passing through commercial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes coated with the same nanoparticles. We have found that the filtering process and prolonged exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles had significant effects on different regions of BSA, and denaturation of the protein was not observed, neither with the TiO2 nanoparticles nor when passing through the TiO2-coated filter membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztina Sebők-Nagy
- Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (K.S.-N.); (Z.K.); (A.K.); (A.D.)
| | - Zoltán Kóta
- Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (K.S.-N.); (Z.K.); (A.K.); (A.D.)
| | - András Kincses
- Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (K.S.-N.); (Z.K.); (A.K.); (A.D.)
| | - Ákos Ferenc Fazekas
- Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, 6725 Szeged, Hungary; (Á.F.F.); (Z.L.)
| | - András Dér
- Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (K.S.-N.); (Z.K.); (A.K.); (A.D.)
| | - Zsuzsanna László
- Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, 6725 Szeged, Hungary; (Á.F.F.); (Z.L.)
| | - Tibor Páli
- Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (K.S.-N.); (Z.K.); (A.K.); (A.D.)
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Manakhov A, Orlov M, Grokhovsky V, AlGhunaimi FI, Ayirala S. Functionalized Nanomembranes and Plasma Technologies for Produced Water Treatment: A Review. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14091785. [PMID: 35566954 PMCID: PMC9102780 DOI: 10.3390/polym14091785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The treatment of produced water, associated with oil & gas production, is envisioned to gain more significant attention in the coming years due to increasing energy demand and growing interests to promote sustainable developments. This review presents innovative practical solutions for oil/water separation, desalination, and purification of polluted water sources using a combination of porous membranes and plasma treatment technologies. Both these technologies can be used to treat produced water separately, but their combination results in a significant synergistic impact. The membranes functionalized by plasma show a remarkable increase in their efficiency characterized by enhanced oil rejection capability and reusability, while plasma treatment of water combined with membranes and/or adsorbents could be used to soften water and achieve high purity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Manakhov
- Aramco Innovations LLC, Aramco Research Center, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (M.O.); (V.G.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +7-9158-494-059
| | - Maxim Orlov
- Aramco Innovations LLC, Aramco Research Center, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (M.O.); (V.G.)
| | - Vyacheslav Grokhovsky
- Aramco Innovations LLC, Aramco Research Center, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (M.O.); (V.G.)
| | - Fahd I. AlGhunaimi
- EXPEC Advanced Research Center, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia; (F.I.A.); (S.A.)
| | - Subhash Ayirala
- EXPEC Advanced Research Center, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia; (F.I.A.); (S.A.)
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